"So... the plan to retrieve the Gem of Serenity failed?"
In the dimly lit laboratory, the scientist wearing an Anubis mask gazed at her pet cat, her tone dripping with disdain.
Meow! (You idiot! I almost got killed by an S-rank Valkyrie's punch!) The cat's face contorted in fury, its expression turning into a perfect pout.
"S-rank Valkyrie??? Impossible! According to our intelligence, Schicksal only dispatched an A-rank Valkyrie and a Trainee." The voice beneath the mask carried a note of stunned disbelief.
"Meow?! (You call that monster who punched through a building and nearly collapsed the basement an A-rank Valkyrie?!)" The cat's expression of disgust deepened.
"But—!" The masked scientist tried to argue further.
"Enough, Jackal—the Leader's return plan must be postponed. Schicksal and Anti-Entropy are watching those gems too closely now," a man wearing a white mask that revealed only his right eye and a black hooded cloak declared as he entered the laboratory.
"I'll investigate the Valkyrie your pet cat mentioned. For now, shift your focus to the Divine Key left by the sire years ago—" The man glanced at the snarling cat, who clearly resented being called a "pet cat."
"Hmph... Schicksal's Overseer Otto Apocalypse has now set his sights on a Divine Key personally sealed by the Revered Master and strictly forbidden to be touched by future generations. Jackal, assign this task to you and Raven. Do not disappoint the Revered Master." Gray Serpent snorted at the cat and relayed the purpose of his visit.
-
"Snow Apocalypse... the Serpent will offer you a deal you can't refuse, a promise you have no right to reject..."
On the high rooftop of the building, a man cloaked in black, wearing a hooded robe and a one-eyed mask, leaned on his black umbrella, studying the investigation reports spread before him. Beneath the mask, his voice dripped with sinister confidence.
-
"Achoo—!" In the Valkyrie dormitory, the golden-haired girl sneezed, drawing concerned glances from her companions.
"Hmm, are you catching a cold, Snow?" Raiden Mei asked with concern, watching the girl rub her nose.
"No, just an itchy nose... probably someone's thinking about me," the girl replied with a shake of her head, lifting her coffee cup to take another sip.
"Thinking about Sister Snow... Bronya thinks it's that glutton Kiana..." Bronya pondered, voicing her suspicion. "After all, she just got kicked out for stealing everyone's afternoon tea earlier."
"Hey! Bronya, are you looking for a fight?! This lady is always honest and upright—I never gossip about others behind their backs!" Kiana, who had been stuffing her face at the table, jumped up from the living room sofa, pointing at Bronya and ranting loudly.
"No, of course it's not that white-haired Clump," the golden-haired girl said, shaking her head. "If she didn't like you, she'd just charge at you, claws out and fists flying, ready to beat you up."
"And then it would be a coin toss between beating the other person black and blue, forcing Sister Mei to apologize endlessly, or getting beaten black and blue herself, prompting Sister Mei to apply medicine with a look of tender concern," Ninti mused, recalling her recent observations of the White-haired Clump for her "Diary of Anomalous Human Behavior."
"Ninti, do you want to get beaten up too?!" Kiana snapped, whirling around to glare at the golden-haired girl being hugged and rubbed by Kyuusyou.
"...According to Bronya's observations, Kiana's win rate when throwing punches at people outside the dorm is 100%. But when she throws punches at us inside the dorm, her win rate is a staggering 1000%," the gray-haired girl stated matter-of-factly, nodding solemnly.
"What? My win rate is pretty high, isn't it?"
The White-haired Clump struck a confident pose, hands on hips, completely missing the sarcasm in Bronya's words. Her face beamed with pride, as if to say, "I'm so awesome! Mei, come praise me!"
This girl is beyond saving, the group thought in unison as they watched the smug girl.
"Ahem... Kiana, do you really understand what '1000%' means?" Kyuusyou asked, her eyebrow twitching as she tried to rein in Kiana's excessive confidence.
"Isn't it just a tenfold increase in my chances of winning? This young lady now feels like she could turn her back on the world and dominate eternity!"
"...Unfortunately, '1000%' usually means you're destined to fail miserably, not literally ten times the odds. And—if you keep standing on the table..."
"You'll probably end up ruling eternity outside the main gate, carrying the hundred-pound Oath of Judah. Your dear Auntie Theresa is right behind you, drawing the Oath of Judah."
Snow kindly pointed behind the White-haired Clump, who had already smugly climbed onto the table, her eyes brimming with sympathy and pity. Behind her, Headmaster Theresa was silently gripping the Oath of Judah, charging her ultimate move.
"Auntie, I was wrong—" A plea for mercy echoed through the dormitory.
-
"So... the academy's closing for break in a few days?" Mei asked, her gaze filled with confusion as she looked at Headmaster Theresa.
"Didn't they say only A-rank and above Valkyries get their own private vacation?" Kiana asked curiously, a bump swelling on her head. Bronya, standing beside her, also cast a curious glance.
Seeing the curious faces before her, Headmaster Theresa crossed her arms, a smug expression spreading across her face. "That's for full-fledged Valkyries. Students at the academy are mostly trainees... though in other Branches, trainees don't get vacations either—"
"But this is St. Freya Academy, my territory! If I, Theresa, say there's a vacation, then there's a vacation!"
"What? Aren't you going to thank your Headmaster?"
"Thank you, Headmaster!" A chorus of cheers filled the dormitory.
Then, as if struck by a sudden realization, the group fell silent. Kiana was the first to break the silence.
"Uh, so... what are everyone's plans for summer vacation? Going home, maybe?"
"I'll probably stay at the academy with Mei... after all, I don't have a home to go back to," the White-haired Clump replied, her expression turning somber.
"Kiana..." Mei looked at Kiana with concern, gently taking the girl's hand that rested on her thigh.
"Idiot Kiana, what are you saying? Isn't this everyone's home?" Bronya, her voice unwavering and monotone, spoke seriously, trying to offer encouragement despite her usual emotional detachment.
Pfft... Kiana burst out laughing at Bronya's serious face.
"Kiana...?" Mei looked puzzled at the suddenly giggling White-haired Clump.
"Mei, Bronya's expression was so funny! She's normally so expressionless, yet she delivered such serious words of encouragement—"
"....."
"Project Bunny! Fire!"
"Don't fire that cannon indoors! You wretched children, get out and fight outside!"
Headmaster Theresa roared at Bronya and Kiana, who were now locked in a brawl. She then noticed Snow standing nearby, silent and deep in thought ever since the vacation announcement.
"Huh... Snow, do you have any plans for the vacation?"
"I'm going back to Europe with Ninti. Kyuusyou will be coming along too." Snow's thoughts, interrupted by Theresa, snapped back to reality, and she quickly answered Theresa's question.
"Europe? To Vienna, your hometown?"
"No, to London, England."
I'm coming—Second Divine Key